Microbial infections still represent one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Irrational usage of antimicrobials has lead to increased resistance, causing clinical, social and economical disabilities. Therefore, one of the major challenges of scientists is to develop novel alternative methods to handle infections and reduce resistance and other side effects produced by the actual therapies. The aim of this book is to offer a perspective on novel approaches to handle infections by using naturally-derived products in order to modulate the virulence of pathogens, without the risk of developing resistance. We intend to highlight the utility of microbial, vegetal and animal-derived compounds with potential antimicrobial activity by exploiting their effect on microbial virulence. Furthermore, this book aims to reveal the potential to assimilate recent bio-technological findings, like the usage of nanotechnology as efficient shuttles for stabilizing, improved targeting and the controlled release of natural products in order to efficiently fight infections.

Therapeutic, Probiotic and Unconventional Foods compiles the most recent, interesting and innovative research on unconventional and therapeutic foods, highlighting their role in improving health and life quality, their implications on safety, and their industrial and economic impact. The book focuses on probiotic foods, addressing the benefits and challenges associated with probiotic and prebiotic use. It then explores the most recently investigated and well-recognized nutraceutical and medicinal foods and the food products and ingredients that have both an impact on human health and a potential therapeutic effect. The third and final section explores unconventional foods and discusses intriguing and debated foods and food sources. While research has been conducted on the beneficial biological effects of probiotics and therapeutic food, the use of these foods remains controversial. To overcome the suspicion of the use of alternative, homeopathic and traditional products as therapy, this book reveals and discusses the most recent and scientifically sound and confirmed aspects of the research.

Nanoengineering in the Beverages Industry, Volume 20 in the Science of Beverages series, presents the impact of novel technologies in nanoengineering on the design of improved and future beverages. This reference explains how novel approaches of nanoengineering can advance beverage science through proven research results and industrial applications. This multidisciplinary resource will help augment research ideas in the development or improvement of beverage production for a wide audience of beverage science research professionals, professors and students.

Quality Control in the Beverage Industry, volume 17, in the Science of Beverages series, presents a detailed account of the most common aspects and challenges relating to quality control. It covers the latest global trends in how to improve beverages using assessment tools, authenticity approaches and novel quality control technologies. The book presents a great, hands on approach for anyone who needs to understand the big picture regarding analytical methods. Topics covered include safety, the economic impacts of contamination, and detection techniques.

Trends in Beverage Packaging, volume 16 in the Science of Beverages series, presents an interdisciplinary approach that provides a complete understanding of packaging theories, technologies and materials. This reference offers a broad perspective regarding current trends in packaging research, quality control techniques, packaging strategies and current concerns in the industry. Consumer demand for bottled and packaged beverages has increased, and the need for scientists and researchers to understand how to analyze quality, safety and control are essential. This is an all-encompassing resource for research and development in this flourishing field that covers everything from sensory and chemical composition, to materials and manufacturing.

Materials for Biomedical Engineering: Bioactive Materials for Antimicrobial, Anticancer, and Gene Therapy offers an up-to-date perspective on recent research findings regarding the application and use of these materials for disease treatment and prevention. Various types of currently investigated bioactive materials, including therapeutic nanostructures and antimicrobial hydrogels are discussed, as are their properties, impact and future role in therapeutic applications. The book will be extremely useful for new researchers who want to explore more information on the use of bioactive materials or for more experienced researchers who are interested in new trends and specific applications.

Natural Beverages, Volume Thirteen, in the Science of Beverages series, takes a multidisciplinary approach to address the shifting beverage landscape towards the global trend of natural beverages. As global beverage consumption has progressed towards healthier and 'natural' ingredients, researchers and scientists need to understand the latest scientific developments and the proposed health benefits and improved effects. Classical examples are presented as a basis for innovation expansion to help new researchers understand this segment of the industry. This is a great resource for researchers and scientists in the beverages industry.

Milk-Based Beverages, Volume 9 in The Science of Beverages series, presents current status, developments, and technologies for researchers and developers to meet consumer demand and understand consumer trends toward healthy drinks. This resource takes a multidisciplinary approach to address issues in safety and quality control, while also discussing the nutritional and functional information that professionals in the beverage industry need. The book presents a framework for researchers, product developers, engineers, and regulators in the beverages industry for understanding new research developments in milk-based products to meet industry needs in producing competitive products.

Sports and Energy Drinks, Volume 10 in The Science of Beverages series, is the first single-volume resource to focus on the science behind these beverages-for-purpose products. As consumers seek ways to effectively replenish key nutrients after strenuous activity-while also balancing calories and vitamin intake-sports and energy drinks is one of the fastest growing markets in the industry. From protein to fruit, athlete to adolescent consumption, this book explores the key issues and challenges in developing products that meet consumer demand in a safe-and-effective manner. This series takes a multidisciplinary approach to help research and development professionals understand the scientific complexities of these unique beverages. As demand for sports and energy drinks is growing and with a more competitive market, this timely and useful resource will equip industry professionals with the tools they need to create new and innovative health-promoting products.

Alcoholic Beverages, Volume Seven in The Science of Beverages series, is a multidisciplinary resource for anyone who needs deeper knowledge on the most recent approaches in beverage development, technology, and engineering, along with their effects on beverage composition, quality, sensory and nutritional features. The book discusses main alcoholic beverages, such as spirits and wines that are thoroughly analyzed in terms of production, sustainability, and future perspectives. It offers examples of the new trends and the most recent technologies and approaches in the industry of alcoholic drinks.

Engineering Tools in the Beverage Industry, Volume Three in The Science of Beverages series, is an invaluable resource for anyone in the beverages field who is involved with quality assurance, lab analysis, and the safety of beverage products. The book offers updates on the latest techniques and applications, including extraction, biochemical isotope analysis, metabolomics, microfiltration, and encapsulation. Users will find this book to be an excellent resource for industrial research in an ever-changing field.

Food Safety and Preservation: Modern Biological Approaches to Improving Consumer Health explores the most recent and investigated hot topics in food safety, microbial contamination, food-borne diseases and advanced preservation methods. It brings together the significant, evidence-based scientific progress of various approaches to improve the safety and quality of foods, also offering solutions to help address food industry challenges. Recent studies and technological advancements in biological control are presented to control foodborne pathogens. In addition, analytical methods for reducing potential biological hazards make this book essential to researchers, scientists, technologists and grad students.

Nanoarchitectonics for Smart Delivery and Drug Targeting is one of the first books on the market to exclusively focus on the topic of nanoarchitectonics, a rapidly developing area of nanotechnology which allows scientists to arrange nanoscale structural units, typically a group of atoms or molecules, in an intended configuration. This book assesses novel applications of nanomaterials in the areas of smart delivery and drug targeting using nanoarchitectonics and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each application.

The Role of Materials Science in Food Bioengineering, Volume 19 in the Handbook of Food Bioengineering, presents an up-to-date review of the most recent advances in materials science, further demonstrating its broad applications in the food industry and bioengineering. Many types of materials are described, with their impact in food design discussed. The book provides insights into a range of new possibilities for the use of materials and new technologies in the field of food bioengineering. This is an essential reference on bioengineering that is not only ideal for researchers, scientists and food manufacturers, but also for students and educators.

Biopolymers for Food Design, Volume 20 in the Handbook of Bioengineering series, describes how biopolymers have made a major impact in the food industry, from food design, to food control and safety. Biopolymers can be used in the development of novel nutritional alternatives, to replace difficult to obtain food products, or for foods inaccessible or inappropriate for a particular population (i.e. allergic to specific components). In addition, some polymers can be used as functional ingredients, and can also represent efficient scaffolds for food ingredients with therapeutic values. This valuable reference is ideal for those looking for new solutions for the food industry.

Alternative and Replacement Foods, Volume 17, a volume in the Handbook of Food Bioengineering series, presents the most up-to-date research on synthetic and replacement food components for scientists and researchers. The book helps them understand the significant impact of these foods on the length and quality of life of consumers. It presents a solid resource that brings together multidisciplinary research and its relationship to various disciplines. Readers will find a broad range of potential outcomes discussed, such as food safety, human and animal health benefits, and the development of new and novel foods through the bio-fortification of nutrients in foods.

Foodborne Diseases, Volume Fifteen, is the latest release in the Handbook of Bioengineering series. This volume covers the ever-changing complex issues that have emerged in the food industry over the past decade. This is a solid reference with broad coverage to provide a foundation for a practical understanding of diseases and related industrial applications. It will help researchers and scientists manage foodborne diseases and prevent and control outbreaks. The book provides information on the most common and classical foodborne diseases, their emergence and inquiries, along with the most investigated and successful strategies developed to combat these health-threatening conditions.

Food Control and Biosecurity, Volume Sixteen, the latest release in the Handbook of Food Bioengineering series, is an essential resource for anyone in the food industry who needs to understand safety and quality control to prevent or reduce the spread of foodborne diseases. The book covers information from exporter to transporter, importer and retailer, and offers valuable tools to measure food quality while also addressing government standards and regulations for food production, processing and consumption. The book presents cutting-edge methods for detecting hazardous compounds within foods, including carcinogenic chemicals. Other related topics addressing food insecurity and food defense are also discussed.

Advances in Biotechnology for Food Industry, Volume Fourteen in the Handbook of Food Bioengineering series, provides recent insight into how biotechnology impacts the global food industry and describes how food needs are diverse, requiring the development of innovative biotechnological processes to ensure efficient food production worldwide. Many approaches were developed over the last 10 years to allow faster, easier production of widely used foods, food components and therapeutic food ingredients. This volume shows how biotechnological processes increase production and quality of food products, including the development of anti-biofilm materials to decrease microbial colonization in bioreactors and food processing facilities.

Food Quality: Balancing Health and Disease, Volume Thirteen in the Handbook of Food Bioengineering series, provides essential information for researchers, scientists and students on the relationship between the quality of foods and disease at the biological level. It presents different technological approaches to detect food properties and their capabilities for balancing health and disease to deliver high-quality products to consumers. This volume explores the dynamic potential of how food bioengineering can improve traditional foods through modern methods to make a positive impact on human health and foster innovation.

The Impact of Nanoscience in the Food Industry, Volume 12 in The Handbook of Food Bioengineering series, explores how nanoscience applications in food engineering offer an alternative to satisfying current food needs that cannot be fulfilled by natural products. Nanotechnology enables the development of tailored food ingredients and structures to replace products that are difficult to obtain. The book discusses how specialized nano-preservatives, sensors and food degradation and contamination detectors were developed and how they can be introduced in food products without degrading quality or properties of the final product. A valuable resource for food engineering researchers and students alike.

Biotechnological Progress and Beverage Consumption, Volume 19 in the Science of Beverages series, presents a scientific resource that discusses current and emerging advancements in technologies and novel applications to help researchers understand and apply the latest techniques to improve beverages. This reliable reference explores how beverages have been improved through biotechnology and provides technical information to improve professional development in a competitive market. Topics include a broad range of trends where some of the most advancements have been made, including improvements in bioactive concentration, probiotics, green technologies in fermentation, and in clarification processes.

Safety Issues in Beverage Production, Volume 18, in the Science of Beverages series, offers a multidisciplinary approach to the complex issues emerging in the beverage industry. The book is broad in coverage and provides the necessary foundation for a practical understanding of the topics that includes recent scientific industry developments that are explained to improve awareness, educate and create communication. The latest trends in legislation, safety management and novel technologies specific to beverages are discussed. This resource is ideal as a practical reference for scientists, engineers and regulators, but can also be used as a reference for courses.

Preservatives for the Beverage Industry, Volume Fifteen, a new release in The Science of Beverages series, is a valuable resource that discusses preservatives and their impact in the beverage industry, including potential health impacts. The book takes a broad, multidisciplinary approach to explore both conventional and novel approaches of the types and uses of preservatives. The latest applications and techniques to reduce the use of non-natural or health-threatening preservation elements are also covered. This is a must-have reference for anyone who needs to increase their technical-scientific knowledge in this field.

Value-Added Ingredients and Enrichment of Beverages, Volume Fourteen in The Science of Beverages series, takes a multidisciplinary approach in addressing what consumers demand in natural beverages. This in-depth reference covers both natural and unnatural ingredients and explains their impact on consumer health and nutrition. Sweeteners, vitamins, oils and other natural ingredients to improve beverages are included. The book addresses some of the most common enrichments used in the industry, including those with biomedical and nutritional applications. This volume will be useful to anyone in the beverages industry who needs a better understanding of advances in the industry.